No Federal money or grant was used in the development of this invention.
The present invention is comprised of a low profile reversible drive turntable which can be anchored to an existing smooth, flat surface with minimal preparation. The invention allows automobiles, light vehicles or heavy items to be parked and maneuvered in a very small area The invention provides convenience and safety in very small areas where a vehicle would otherwise not be able to easily park or a bulky object would not be able to maneuver. The improvements over existing designs include allowing a very low profile so a below ground installation is not required, a system of stops which anchor the turntable and prevent it""s movement while vehicles are loading and unloading, and a structural foam construction which is inexpensive but superior to current designs.
There is a need for an inexpensive, easily installed turntable which does not require extensive installation work. Previously patented vehicle and heavy item turntables tend to be complicated mechanically, expensive to manufacture, and often require extensive installation and site modifications during the installation process. This invention has the advantage of being inexpensive, only needing a flat surface area sufficient to accommodate the turntable itself, and a sufficiently firm flat surface to which the invention can be affixed, in order to be operable. This invention therefore results in a substantial savings on equipment cost, installation time and labor expense.
Historical attempts to address some or all of the above limitations in prior patented machines have been numerous. Some examples of prior art include:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,798, Mar. 2, 1971, Peitzman, is an automobile turntable which must be installed flush with the surface where it is to be used. This requires expensive excavation and preparation during the installation process. The subject invention avoids the expense and time of excavation and installation at ground level because it is designed to sit upon any flat surface without having to be installed below ground lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,398, Feb. 12, 1985, Vallee, is a portable turntable designed to be easily moved. The current invention is designed for more permanent installations such as in residential units, and the construction is simpler, less complex, and less expensive to install than the Vallee invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,929, Sep. 2, 1986, Park, requires a subsurface installation and therefore requires preparation and excavation of the surface it sits on.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,173, Jun. 28, 1988, James, uses a cantilever design for strength on the platform, requires complicated guide bearing construction, and spoke like members to support the upper deck of the turntable, while the current invention uses sections filled with structural foam giving greater strength and a more uniform upper surface, while decreasing installation complexity and costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,884, Oct. 18, 1988, Seay, must be installed below ground, a feature increasing cost of installation avoided by the current invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,537, Jan. 10, 1993, Besser, is a mobile truck turntable having a scow like body with a high vertical profile designed for portable use to move heady trucks. The subject invention has the advantage of being much lower to the ground, and being designed for permanent installation, has a very low profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,704, Feb. 11, 1992, Mueller, uses a polygonal support frame, but still must be installed with a portion of itself below ground, a problem which the current invention solves.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,508, Feb. 25, 1992, Nishikawa et. al., is a turntable with a retractable lift. It is designed for repairing of automobiles and has extensive and more expensive components as part of it""s structure so that it can lift an automobile horizontally. The subject invention avoids the expense and complicated machinery as it does not attempt to raise it""s load vertically.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,357, Jul. 23, 2000, Boswell, consists of a turntable requiring very powerful motors that can left a vehicle vertically as well as rotate the turntable. The installation required extensive work in the area to be installed. The subject invention does not require such expense as powerful motors since the drive mechanism only rotates a turntable in the horizontal axis. A ⅓ horsepower motor is all that is necessary for the current invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,079, May 6, 1997, Summers, is a patent for an oscillating turntable for displaying vehicles. It differs from the subject invention because it consists of two vertical tiers of counter rotating turntables, lending to a complexity and expense avoided by the subject invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,160, May 26, 1998, Blufordcraving, is a rotating floor for automobiles but it also has similar disadvantages as the Summer U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,079. It must be installed below ground level, and it requires powerful motors to rotate it. The Subject invention sits on top of any flat ground surface, and the drive mechanism location is such that very little power is required to actually rotate the turntable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,310, Jun. 19, 1998, Paskiewicz, is not a permanent turntable designed for residential use of automobiles, but instead is a castor based platform for maneuvering and storing large numbers of motorcycles and other two wheeled vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,106, May 7, 2002, Knight, uses tubular construction which makes the turntable high and necessitates a below ground construction. The current invention avoids the problems inherent in having to install some of the components underground.
The invention consists of a device for parking or maneuvering vehicles or heavy items in confined spaces, a low profile turntable on a center pivot, riding on support rollers, with stops near the center of rotation, with a ramp around the exterior, is driven by a reversible drive mechanism driving the turntable by a mechanical means such as a chain drive, gear or friction wheel etc.